Driver and 3wood Matching shafts?

[XLSDRAW]

Once I find a Driver/ Shaft combination that suits me well, is it a given that the same model 3wood and matching shaft will also work well? Or is the 3wood fitting a completely different animal? I've noticed very few members list the same model and shaft combo's in their player profiles.

[hornav]

This could depend on how you want your three fairway wood to behave. Do you want it to throw the ball up high to make it easier to hit off the deck? Do you want that low piercing trajectory for when the wind is really moving? Or do you want a similar launch as your driver, just at a shorter distance? That's what I asked myself.

 

Personally, I play a softer tip shaft because I usually hit my longest fairway wood somewhere other than on the tee. So because I'm not a three wood specialist, I want the little extra help of that soft tip.

 

Edit: Different heads change things as well...

[XLSDRAW]

I use my 3-wood almost exclusively off the deck. I'm proficient enough three-quartering a driver that I don't need the 3-wood off the tee. Where as my XLS driver with 60g shaft (D1 sw) suits me very well the same shaft in my XLS 3-wood (D.5 sw) feels too light. Can't really feel the shaft explode at impact like I do with the driver. The ball jumps off my Halo hybrid (D1.5) similar to the feel with the driver.

[DL4Golf]

Also depends on the shaft length you prefer to play on the 1W/3W. A shorter length 3W frequently requires a heavier shaft weight than the driver to get the same swingweight. Many shafts like Matrix Studio sell in several weights: 64/74/84/94 which will accommodate different shaft lengths on your clubs. Most fairway woods are steel head, not titanium, so will play totally different than the same brand driver.

[OldSkoolTexan]

I usually match mine because Im OCD and like for things to match!  lol  no really......  It does depend on what you use the 3wd for actually.  I hit mostly tee shots with mine, not really coming into greens with it, so I dont need a higher launch w/more spin.

[XLSDRAW]

I know if you buy 2 identical shafts raw that you are supposed to tip the shaft for the 3-wood and not the driver which makes the 3-wood play a little stiffer. Is this also true when you buy the driver and 3-wood OEM? Since the 3-wood plays stiffer and has a lighter sw, this could be why it feels too light. I'd guess adding weight at the head or head end of shaft would would help significantly wouldn't it? If this is the case, how do you add weight in a 3-wood?

[ezra76]

Depends on the shaft. Manufacturer's usually have a tipping recommendation for driver, 3W, 5W. As for weight, a driver head is lighter than a 3W head and a 3W shaft is shorter than a driver shaft. If you need to add weight, easiest way is lead tape. I have about 7-8 g's on my 3W because a) I wanted the head to feel a little heavier and b) I got little overzealous tipping it and it was stiff as all heck. I also felt like the heavier feel of the head made it easier to draw, which is what I wanted. A a very stiff tip, low flight and a club I could turn over since I cut my driver.

[DL4Golf]

Shafts and clubheads can vary in weight. I would guess the majority of OEM clubmakers do NOT weigh each and every component when they build a club, they just use the "average" shaft weight and "average" head weight to determine their swing weights. As a result of this their web site might say D1 swingweight but the club you get can easily be a couple of swingweights off due to the weight variations in components. Yes, you can add weight to a 3W. Take off the grip, drop lead powder down the shaft and seal with a small cork down the shaft, then put on a new grip. Lead tape can be put on the back of clubs, but this detracts from looks and resale value.

[NPVWhiz]

The only single brand and model line of shafts I've ever had luck with matching well has been the Aldila VS Proto 65 in a 907D2 and the VS Proto 85 gram shaft in a standard hosel three wood (Nickent 3DX Pro). The Diamana 63 in the driver and 83 in the 3 wood were like two completely different clubs for me. I never felt that the 757 Speeder and the 869 Speeder were a very good match in terms of similar feel. The 757 / Pro 95 combo worked OK for a while, but I never seemed to have a day where I hit both clubs really well. Interestingly, I had an NV 75 in the driver for a while, and an NV 95 in a three wood that I just could not hit. People will say that it's the Indian and all that, but I've tinkered enough to know now that you can find two that match well, but for the vast majority of players it usually ends up being two different brands that just happen to end up having similar bend profiles in the two different trims/lengths.

 

A friend who played professional golf for a while who had an unorthodox shaft in his three wood, but he swore it was an identical match-up to the 757 in his driver, and I think he used that same three wood through three or four different 757 shafted drivers.

[XLSDRAW]

Judging by your line-up, it looks like you typically use a heavier shaft in your 3-wood. I've never tried that. Is that the norm for low cappers?

[DL4Golf]

>Judging by your line-up, it looks like you typically use a heavier shaft in your 3-wood. I've never >tried that. Is that the norm for low cappers?

 

First choose your shaft length, then weigh your clubhead. Those two parameters will determine the range of weights that can be used for your shaft, with option for adding up to 6 grams or so tip weight. Just because Cobra is putting 55 gram NV shafts on some of their speed 3-woods doesn't mean the 55 gram shaft will work on your 3-wood. I weighed a Cobra pro 3W head at 218 grams which is about 10 grams heavier than an avergage 3W head. If you try to put a 55 gram shaft on a normal 3W head it just won't add up, unless you make it about 44 inches long. Heavier club heads and tip weighting can also reduce the stiffness of the shaft.

[XLSDRAW]

I consider myself fortunate to have found this site. After getting my cap down to a 2 in2006, I've been able to sustain it there. I had never delved into the technical side of golf. So 8 months ago I joined a golf forum seeking the knowledge needed to take my cap lower. Unfortunately I joined the wrong forum. The best thing that came from the other site is I heard about this site. The information and expertise that you folks are sharing here is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

XLSDRAW